Dispensers for various liquids such as coffee, soft drinks, water, and the like have been available for many years. These dispensers are equipped with a delivery mode which is usually a spigot or nozzle that projects from the bottom side of the dispenser and usually has a means for stopping and starting the flow of liquid such as spring loaded button, or a lever that opens and closes a valve and the like.
All such devices have a common problem, in that any void space that is forward of the valve or nozzle retains a small amount of the liquid being dispensed, and when the button or lever is closed, the vacuum that is created in the forward part of the nozzle breaks, and releases the residual liquid. If there is nothing to catch this residual liquid, it is dispensed on the floor or ground. For example, it has been noted that a coffee urn, that has been used for approximately one-half hour, has dispensed enough residual coffee on to the table top, such table top being covered with a table cloth, that the entire table cloth was saturated with coffee.
A certain number of dispensers have built-in receptacles for catching such residual liquids, but this makes such dispensers cumbersome to move and store.
Devices that have been found in the patent literature are for example, the drip collector device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,011 that issued on Nov. 28, 1995 to Jordan which comprises a rear retaining member having a spigot slot which attaches to the spigot and a collection reservoir disposed below the spigot slot for collecting drips and overflows. The slot comprised an open, elongated vertical slot to enable it to be disposed over the spigot of the urn.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 384,244 that issued on Sep. 30, 1997 deals with a drip catcher having a similar vertical, elongated slot to enable the attachment of the device to a liquid dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,138 that issued on Nov. 25, 1997 to Fuller also discloses an elongated, vertical slot for hanging the device on a dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,781 that issued on Aug. 28, 2001 to Konar discloses a device that has a huge vertical elongated opening that is used to hang the device on a spigot of a dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,216,778 that issued on May 15, 2007 discloses a self-leveling drip catcher for fluid containers in which the opening is of sufficient size to accommodate the size of the spigot, but this device seems limited in use as it would not fit every variety of dispenser.
Thus, none of the prior art has disclosed a closed opening in the back wall for hanging the device on a dispenser and no prior art has disclosed the benefits of having such a device.
The receptacle of the instant invention is intended to provide an economical, easily attached and removed device that self levels, has the capability of more secure attachment to the liquid dispenser and prevents any unwanted liquids from escaping through the back opening of the device.